Village Global Podcast

Latest Episodes:

A Deep Dive on Community Building with Scott Heiferman Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined by Scott Heiferman (@heif), co-founder of Meetup.
They discuss the reason that IRL (in real life) meetups are important and why in-person contact cannot be replaced by virtual interaction. They talk about some of the most important communities that have started in the past, particularly involving religion, and why the connections they make have been so powerful.
Scott mentions the health benefits of belonging to a community and talks about the importance of network effects in building new groups.
He also talks about what makes a successful community and how people looking to build communities can make theirs grow.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Requests For Startups: E-Commerce and Logistics with Laura Behrens Wu and Talia Goldberg Apr 14, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined by Laura Behrens Wu (@LauraBehrensWu), co-founder and CEO of Shippo, and Talia Goldberg (@taliagold), venture investor at Bessemer.
They start out by talking about how Laura started Shippo and how the team iterated through different ideas to get to what the company is today. She tells the story of trying to get attention from investors for a space that was not too familiar to them.
Talia talks about Bessemer’s investments long ago in then-new retail companies like Staples and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and where they are thinking about where they want to invest.
They move on to talking about the rise of direct-to-consumer and consumer packaged goods, and discuss how companies like Shippo can help new entrepreneurs get to market. They discuss some of the changes in e-commerce over the years and how new channels like Instagram are helping create a new relationship between consumers and brands.
They also talk about companies that Talia wishes she had invested in but didn’t, their recommendations for entrepreneurs looking at the space, and their requests for startups.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg, and the show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

The Case For A Gift Economy with Miki Kashtan Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

On this episode Erik is joined by Miki Kashtan, author and NVC teacher. They discuss the problems of exchange in general as a way of fulfilling human needs, the issues with reciprocity, and what fulfilling needs via “flow” and “natural abundance” means.
Miki talks about some of the more interesting and unique studies that she has seen about societies from the very distant past and what kinds of lessons they may hold for how we should organize societies today. They talk about why in society we are always rationing, whether we realize it or not, and are usually determining how to allocate scarce resources by wealth rather than by need. Miki talks about the idea that shame was once a useful emotion that has been co-opted by the powers that be to keep people in line.
She also talks about the distinction between governments and governance, why we need to innovate on innovation, and why she never does anything for the money, but instead does things for the relationships.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Robert Greene on His New Book “The Laws of Human Nature” Apr 11, 2019

Show notes

Robert Greene (@RobertGreene), author of The 48 Laws of Power and The Laws of Human Nature, joins Erik on this episode to talk about how we can “penetrate the masks that other people wear” and become effective judges of others' character.
He calls his new book the “codebook for deciphering human behavior” and talks about why being able to look at something through the perspective of others is the most valuable thing you can do. He also says you need to combine empathy with a deep understanding of your mind’s tendencies and your personal psychological quirks.
Robert warns that you should take care not to be seduced by a glittery resume or by those who use their charm to hide their lack of competence. He also discusses the role of identity and the importance of reputation in today’s world, why everyone is an actor (whether they like it or not), and how he has evolved since his first book was published decades ago.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

Tyler Cowen On His New Book: "Big Business: A Love Letter To An American Anti-Hero" Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined by Tyler Cowen (@tylercowen), economist, author, and returning fan-favorite. He talks with Erik about why big business should be celebrated and why capitalism is effective but unpopular.
Tyler explains why he doesn’t quite believe that the main benefit of the firm is to lower transaction costs. He talks about why big business and capitalism have a branding problem, and what benefits they bring to the American people that mean they should be celebrated.
He talks about the tech behemoths and why concerns about their power are overrated, including why people don’t actually care as much about privacy as they say they do. He posits that users want more control over their information, not more privacy.
They discuss the vilification of finance in America, why Tyler says that corporate lobbying isn’t such a big deal in the US, and discuss how Tyler’s views differ from those of some of the most prominent writers on this topic.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

What Noah Smith and Parker Thompson Think About Basically Every Economic Policy Apr 07, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined on this episode by Noah Smith (@Noahpinion), Bloomberg opinion writer, and Parker Thompson (@pt), partner at AngelList. They cover a wide variety of topics relating to, among many others, labor productivity, the gig economy, healthcare, education, solar power and the Green New Deal.
They start out by talking about productivity and why it hasn’t increased over the past decades, even though technology has in theory enabled higher productivity. Noah explains his pet theory that people waste the time they’re saving by being more productive via technology “dicking around on social media at work.”
They talk about certain sectors like real estate and wealth management ripe for disruption and where technology should result in better value for consumers. They discuss the gig economy and why Noah says it is not actually the future of labor. He points out people in Silicon Valley conflate companies that will make them very rich with companies that are going to take over the world (even though Silicon Valley insists they will).
They discuss why good government health insurance would be one of the best things that could happen for the American worker, and much, much more, including why workers should control a portion of the company they work for, why people have such trouble saving, and why companies aren’t investing in training or educating their workers.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

A Comparison of Austrian and Keynesian Economics with Noah Smith, Parker Thompson and Stephan Kinsella Apr 06, 2019

Show notes

On this episode Erik is joined by Stephan Kinsella (@NSKinsella), libertarian writer and patent attorney, Noah Smith (@Noahpinion), Bloomberg opinion writer, and Parker Thompson (@pt), partner at AngelList.
In a spirited debate, the three of them discuss the relative merits of Austrian economics vs. Keynesian economics.
They start out by defining the primary schools of economic thought and explaining where each of the guests sits on the spectrum of economic thinking. They talk about the value of empiricism when it comes to economics and whether economic theories can be derived from first principles.
They discuss inflation and whether centralized control of the money supply leads to better economic outcomes, as well as how one can determine these things in the messy real world. They also touch on a number of other topics, including whether it would be a good thing to get rid of the FDA and pharmaceutical patents, whether antitrust law is “unethical,” and whether the patent system is a net positive for society.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

The State and Future of Fintech with Zach Perret and David Haber Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

Erik is joined by Zach Perret (@zachperret), co-founder and CEO of Plaid, and David Haber (@dhaber), former co-founder and CEO of Bond Street, now at Goldman Sachs.
Zach and David talk about how they met and how they started their respective companies. They explain how to find out whether you are passionate enough about an idea to start a company around it: are you passionate about it enough to be willing to pound the table to get your mother-in-law to invest?
David points out that 90% of your work as a founder is selling — to investors, employees, customers, and many others. They talk about the future of financial services and fintech and make some predictions about what to expect in the space over the next several years. David and Zach share some tips for people building a company in the space on what works and what doesn’t, and how the space has evolved since they started their companies.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global and is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg. Colin Campbell is our audio engineer and the show is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

A Primer on Nonviolent Communication with Newt Bailey Apr 02, 2019

Show notes

Newt Bailey (@nmbailey), founder of The Communication Dojo, and a nonviolent communication coach, joins Erik on this episode to talk about how the framework of nonviolent communication can help you be more compassionate in your conversations and improve communication at work, and in all aspects of your life.
Newt tells the story of a protracted conflict at work that he was able to overcome with the help of NVC and how that was the basis for his work in nonviolent communication. He breaks down the three key skills in NVC and how it is similar to the martial art of aikido, where you are defending yourself without hurting the aggressor, and also not being an aggressor yourself.
He also talks about restorative justice initiatives based on NVC that are in effect around the world and explains how NVC can be compatible with the seemingly cutthroat world of business and economic growth.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

A Deep Dive on Housing with Kim-Mai Cutler and Alex Danco Mar 31, 2019

Show notes

This episode features Kim-Mai Cutler (@kimmaicutler) of Initialized Capital and Alex Danco (@Alex_Danco) of Social Capital.
They start out by talking about the huge rise in housing prices over the last decades in the Bay Area and the fact that there is now net-negative domestic US migration to the Bay Area. They discuss the reasons for this, including the fact that in California, property taxes are paid on the value of the property when it was purchased, not the market value.
They talk about land and property more generally and the fact that at one time in the past property was something that would produce something (like crops or livestock) as opposed to simply remain stagnant but appreciate in value.
They discuss the policies that have led to the housing crisis in the Bay Area and some of the current attitudes in the US towards housing that are counter-productive. They also talk about what would need to change for the housing crisis to abate, new forms of property rights, and why the financial crisis of the late 2000s didn’t fundamentally change anything about the overheated housing market.
Thanks for listening — if you like what you hear, please review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Check us out on the web at villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
Venture Stories is brought to you by Village Global, is hosted by co-founder and partner, Erik Torenberg and is produced by Brett Bolkowy.

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